Cairns 2-day Liveaboard

[yahtzee]

Hey,
I'm going to be in Cairns at the end of december this year for four or five days and my bro and I want to do some good diving. We are thinking about doing a 2 day/1 night liveaboard with Cairns Dive centre to dive the outer reefs (Milln, Moore, Briggs, Elford, and Thetford). I know that Osprey and Ribbon Reefs are better, but we don't really want to do a longer liveaboard. We are also considering the Deep Sea Divers Den 2 day/1 night which goes to Norman Reef, Saxon Reef, Jorgies, Breaking Patches, and Hastings Reef. Any input would be great as to which trip with which reefs would be better. Thanks!

 

[RonDawg]

I don't know about the others,but Milln and Thetford reefs are part of the "day boat" itinerary, meaning they're about a 2 hour ride each way. No need to book a liveaboard to visit them.

The advantage of a liveaboard even for these reefs is that you're likely to get diving + lodging for less money than taking day boats and booking land-based lodging separately. Plus, you only have to put up with the long boat ride once each way.

The disadvantage is that on the entertainment side, you're stuck with whatever the boat provides. Also, if you're not feeling well by the end of the Day 1, you're stuck out at sea for another 24 hours.

Also, when I checked one of the Australian dive websites about these operators, at least one did NOT get favorable reviews (I think it was off diveoz.com.au). It showed pictures of cabins with soggy carpets, poorly maintained cabins, etc. If I checked into a hotel and found it unacceptable, at least I could walk out and look for something better, something obviously not an option on a liveaboard once you're out to sea.

In the end I just did what I did the previous year and booked land-based lodging with day trips. It turned out to be a good thing, because I had to delay my diving by an entire day thanks to a baggage snafu courtesy of Air New Zealand. Had I booked a liveaboard, I would have had to make a choice between losing my deposit or going on a liveaboard without any swim trunks or any change of clothing for that matter.

 

[Fordan]

I don't know about the others,but Milln and Thetford reefs are part of the "day boat" itinerary, meaning they're about a 2 hour ride each way. No need to book a liveaboard to visit them.

True. You can get 3 dives a day on these reefs off the Silverswift (http://www.silverseries.com.au/). Not a hugely cheap option, but it seemed like a pretty nice boat when I did the Introduction to Scuba session that got me interested in scuba last year.

When I was down there later in 2006 I did the Scuba Pro 3 days/2 nights liveaboard, which was a good value at around AU$550 or so, but again was mostly the same reefs as you'll see from day boats.

 

[RonDawg]

I used SilverSwift last November. It was OK, nothing stellar. I got a better "wow" factor on TUSA Dive to the same reefs the previous year.

I also used its sister ship SilverSonic to Agincourt Reef that same week, again an "OK" but not stellar dive.

The boats themselves are pretty nice though.

 

[lancetre]

Hey,
I'm going to be in Cairns at the end of december this year for four or five days and my bro and I want to do some good diving. We are thinking about doing a 2 day/1 night liveaboard with Cairns Dive centre to dive the outer reefs (Milln, Moore, Briggs, Elford, and Thetford). I know that Osprey and Ribbon Reefs are better, but we don't really want to do a longer liveaboard. We are also considering the Deep Sea Divers Den 2 day/1 night which goes to Norman Reef, Saxon Reef, Jorgies, Breaking Patches, and Hastings Reef. Any input would be great as to which trip with which reefs would be better. Thanks!

I did my OW through CDC - a couple of years ago now, but based on my experiences with them then, I would gladly recommend them. The staff and crew were great with my wife, who got sea sick, the accomodation was comfortable and the food as great.

Most of my dives were on Thetford. Can't complain about the quality of the diving either.

Afraid I can't comment on Divers Den, as I have had nothing to do with them.

Enjoy the trip